At long last the Red Sea will have its first artificial wreck reef. The Red Sea Association with the continued support of H. E. Saad Abu Rida are making this a reality. It has been one of the Association’s goals from the outset to create new dive sites in the Red Sea, particularly the Hurghada area with two objectives in mind:
1- To alleviate the pressure on some of the overused dive sites in Hurghada which is beginning to take its toll on the health and attraction of some of the reefs producing negative environmental effects thereon.
2- Add to the attraction of Hurghada as a dive destination to regenerate the interest of divers and to counter the mostly unfair stigma that Hurghada dive sites have been damaged and are no longer attractive.
To this end the idea of an artificial wreck reef seemed the perfect answer as not only it will with time create a new reef under disciplined environmental practices but also provide the area with a new and exciting wreck dive that is accessible to most levels from beginners to technical penetration divers in a safe environment.
Funding was obtained from the NGO service centre with the full support and resources of the Red Sea Governorate, and the help and approval of the Red Sea Protectorate office in Hurghada. The cargo ship HEBA ALLAH (which is beached a few miles opposite Sindbad Resort), was the chosen vessel.
Current owner Mr Mohamadi Hoeidek, a leading Hurghada hotels pioneer was very enthusiastic towards the project and did not hesitate to donate the ship as a gift to the Red Sea Governorate. They in turn earmarked it for this ground breaking project by the Association under the supervision of Admiral Adel Hegab, the newly appointed general coordinator for investments and environmental affairs at the Red Sea Governorate.
The ship is 51 meters long, 8 meters in width and an impressive 300 tons of dead weight. As a former cargo ship it will make an ideal wreck dive with lots to discover in and around it.
This project which the Association has been working on since last November will include, in addition to the sinking of the ship other components:
1- A comprehensive Red Sea dive digital guide CD covering the area from El Gouna to the Deep South, with multilingual briefings for each site as well as environmental and safe diving practices.
2- A Red Sea corals book written by board member Mr. Mohamed Habib explaining all that there is about the subject in simple and easy to understand language.
3- A workshop program aimed at increasing the environmental awareness and enhancing correct diving practices from an environmental point of view for Red Sea professionals and users.
The project is now well under way and we are looking to sink HEBA ALLAH by the beginning of July when it will be officially opened as a new dive site.
